How Clean Is Your Car?

It’s a question you may not ask yourself all that often. After all, as long as it doesn’t look like you’ve been off-roading then its okay, right? Well, while many people would agree with you, there are some that wouldn’t. In fact, some folks like to have an immaculate vehicle inside and out and it’s even something that is possible to achieve. Read on to find out how and to see if you are up for the challenge of a super clean car.

Are the wheels clean?

Vehicle wheels are just like the soles of our shoes; they will get dirty because they come into close contact with the road. However, that doesn’t mean we have to leave them clogged in mud. In fact, if your wheels are incredibly dirty, it can even make your car less safe to drive because it will affect the tire grips and that is not what you want! After all, tires are what automobile companies invest millions in to get it right.

With that in mind, it’s a good idea to keep your wheel and tires as clean as you possibly can. To do this, it’s first necessary to hose down the wheels to remove the significant bits of debris. Of course, if you have a power washer like the ones reviewed at AutoDeets, it can make this task a lot easier. In fact, by using one, you can stand and clean the tires instead of having to get a brush and kneel down to clean out all the crevices.

Once your tires and wheels are clean, don’t forget to do the arches as well; then you can move on to finishing and protecting them. For this, it is helpful to use tire dressing, a liquid that ensures that the tire colour doesn’t look faded. The finishing touch is to polish your hubcaps and this will require you to have some metal polish and a soft cloth.

Are the seats clean?

The seats are parts of the car that get a lot of wear and tear and luckily, there are a few hacks that you can apply to make this process a little less intensive.

One is to use white vinegar to remove any stains from your seats. However, remember that this will only work on leather upholstery and not fabric. If you are dealing with an ink stain on your leather seating, you can even use hairspray to get it out but do be careful as leather is particularly delicate to clean correctly.

If your seats are fabric, then a car upholstery cleaner should do the trick and you may even want to steam the seats occasionally as this will ensure that they are hygienic deep down and as well as surface clean.

Is the paintwork clean?

Now, moving onto the outside of your vehicle; it’s essential to make your paintwork as clean and shiny as possible. Traditionally this has been seen as a job that you get done with an automatic machine. However, car wash rollers like the ones you can find in garages are notoriously bad for your paintwork and can even cause minor scratches and abrasions. Instead, you can do a much better job if you chose to do this task by hand.

Of course, it is important to note that before you start to get down to cleaning your vehicle, you must remove any nasty stains first. Such stains may be caused by bird faeces or tree sap; all of which can damage paint if not gotten rid of as quickly as possible.

Then, once your vehicle is clear of these stains, you can go ahead with the full cleaning, something that is best done with a car shampoo brand that you trust. Also, please don’t forget to dry your vehicle off with a chamois leather or microfiber cloth once you finished because you wouldn’t want to have unsightly watermarks.

Is the trim clean?

Lastly, as you have spent so much time and effort getting the inside and outside of your car as clean as possible, it is worth going the extra mile to work on the inside and outside of the trims as well.

For both, be sure to use a cleaner that also offers some UV protection, something that will stop your trims fading over time. Also, be careful to avoid any oily polishes or cleaners on the inside as this can damage the leather and fabric and detract from achieving that clean car look that you have challenged yourself to create.

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Melvin is an experienced Swimming Coach, Outdoor Teacher, and Youth Leadership Trainer with more than 8 years of experience. During his free time, he enjoys a healthy dose of reading, travelling and writing.

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About The Founder

A jack of all trades, Melvin was a waiter, coffee barista, hotelier, and is now a digital marketer specialising in Search Engine Optimisation. His hobbies include wine-tasting, boating, reading and travelling.